Why Israel’s new foreign minister’s speech about Kurds is timely
The statements of the Israeli Minister have warmly touched the hearts of the Kurdish people and knocked on the door of Kurdish policy makers and intellectuals.
By Tamar Hussein Ibrahim
Many Kurds weren’t expecting to be mentioned in the first speech of the Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar before assuming his duties. The minister mentioned the Kurds, saying:
“The Kurdish people are a great nation, one of the largest nations without political independence,”
These statements came at a time when there is an unjustified decline regarding the Kurdish role from the international community and ongoing attempt by regional countries such as Turkey and Iran to reduce the influence of Kurdish diplomacy concerning crucial issues.
The praise of the Kurds and the importance that they have played has declined in the last few years by Western countries who Kurds consider as friends . Therefore, if there is someone waiting for a positive statement, it is the Kurds, and eventually Kurdish nationalist sentiments have been stirred.
The statements of the Israeli Minister have warmly touched the hearts of the Kurdish people and knocked on the door of Kurdish policy makers and intellectuals.
With the new US administration starting its missions and the ambiguity in its policy regarding the Kurds, who really feel anxious and are monitoring with fear the political developments and what will happen to their regions. The Kurds feel that they have been betrayed after the developments and results of the revolutions which demanded freedom and the end of tyranny more than a decade ago in the middle east, as they were harsh and unjust to the Kurds despite all their sacrifices and the sincere cooperation they have given with the international coalition in fighting terrorist organizations in both Syria and Iraq.
The Kurds of Iraq lost their right to the results of their referendum, the right to self-determination, like all the free people who lives on their historical land, and they lost a major city due to the conspiracies of countries against them and the silence of their allies especially America,the city of Kirkuk, which the Kurds consider to be the heart of Kurdistan, fell under the control of the Popular Mobilization Forces, thus, it was a major loss for Kurdish self-rule .
In Syria, Kurds sacrificed more than 13 thousand lives in their fight against terrorist ,however ,the international community didn’t move in the face of Turkish interventions, as a result the cities of Afrin, Serekaniye and Tal Abyad all fell under the rule of radical groups led by Turkey, and their geographical control diminished , consequently, the Syrian Kurdish regions became separate from each other.
I had stated in an Israeli newspaper at the beginning of 2016 that “Israel should openly support and endorse Kurdish aspirations in Syria and the Syrian political factions should publicly declare these relations. At the end of day, this will be good step for the stability and coexistence in the region”.
“Israel can have a trustworthy and reliable ally in the new Syria and I think the Kurds are the ones ready for that,”
As The Kurds have played an important role in fighting extremism, they can , along with the Arab countries that signed peace agreements with Israel, be real partners who deserve the support of the United States and Western countries so that the peoples of the region can enjoy peace and prosperity and that coexistence prevail. These are concepts that neither Iran nor Turkey will ever accept. Rather, they will seek in every possible way to create more crises, spread chaos, and oppress Kurds; Both countries will quickly, as they did before, use these positive statements for their ready-made accusations against the Kurds and accuse them of being the reason for the division , ignoring their actions and policies that are the reason behind all the crises and instability in the region.
I have felt from my conversations with Israeli journalists that they deeply understand the plight of the Kurds and their cause.
It is true that there are no official agreements between the Kurds and the State of Israel, but it is time to turn feelings into actions .
it is time for Israel to transform its support in the media and statements defending the Kurdish cause into a fruitful reality by pressuring the United States and Western countries in the international institutions to defend Kurdish interests and strengthening its relations with Kurds in various fields.
The history of suffering of the Kurdish and Jewish peoples is enough to shorten all distances and remove all obstacles to reach a fruitful and real cooperation between the two nations for their good and the region alike.
The author is a Syrian Kurd journalist and Kurdish affairs analyst.
Views are personal and IAR neither endorses them nor are responsible for them.
